6 posts categorized "learning"

July 28, 2015

Have you ever worked with someone who you couldn’t connect with or even drove you crazy? I will bet that sometimes that person was of opposite temperament – an introvert to your extrovert or vice versa. Misunderstandings between introverts and extroverts can lead to frustration, hurt feelings and often, failure.

Prior to becoming an author and speaker, I was a training manager in a consumer products company. My assistant, Amy, was an introvert. I expected her to share my energy and pace as we rolled out some initiatives. Amy was low key, calm, and didn’t reveal much about what she was thinking. I really wanted her to share my excitement about our new innovative training programs. But, she didn’t say very much and because I didn’t understand introverts I expected her to express her enthusiasm the way I did.

So what did I do? I revved up my energy, hoping she would do the same. Unfortunately, the more I expected her to mirror my temperament, the less she did. The result was that our communication disconnect divide just got wider as time went on.

Unfortunately, Amy and I never did find that sweet spot of collaboration but this frustrating experience was a pivotal one for me. It taught me that partnerships between introverts and extroverts can go off the rails if not carefully nurtured. The real key is to not focus on differences but on the results you are trying to achieve.

My latest research demonstrates that successful opposites take a series of intentional steps in their partnerships. The Genius of Opposites Process is based on these steps and is an easy to remember ABCDE formula.

Here it is:

A= Accept the Alien – You can’t change your opposite, but you can try better to understand them. Once you are able to accept this fact, you are in for much less stress.

B= Bring on the Battles – See disagreements as necessary to arriving at better outcomes because you challenge each other to come up with better solutions together than you would alone.

C= Cast the Character – Know each person’s role in a scenario and cast him or her so that you bring out your opposite’s best in that role. Opposites share the credit no matter what role they take.

D=Destroy the Dislike – When you respect each other and act like friends, you can talk openly and have fun.

E= Each Can’t Offer Everything – Know that each one of you is incapable of offering everything and that for true diversity you must work in concert to provide the widest range of options to others.

Both of you need to commit to taking a look at what is working and where you are misfiring. Then you can make adjustments and fine-tune your partnership. To learn where your relationship’s strengths and weaknesses lie, take the quiz on our website.

In keeping your eye on the common outcomes you are trying to achieve, you will end up learning from and appreciating your opposite more than you ever thought possible.

A thought leader and global speaker, Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, (pronounced Con-Why-Ler) Ph.D., CSP is known as “the champion for introverts.” She tackles the topic of introvert – extrovert partnerships in her new book, The Genius of Opposites. This first-of-its-kind book provides readers with tools for how these two personalities can achieve extraordinary results when they understand each other and work together. An expert on introverted leadership, Kahnweiler has written the bestsellers The Introverted Leader and Quiet Influence. She has spoken at hundreds of major organizations, including GE, NASA, and the CDC. Visit www.jenniferkahnweiler.com and follow her on Twitter at @jennkahnweiler.

February 18, 2015

Last week, Skillsoft employees from around the world gathered at the annual Global Sales Meeting in Orlando, Fla. The event was an engaging opportunity for people from Skillsoft and SumTotal to share insights on the combined company’s vision of putting people at the center of learning and talent management. When employees were not talking about HR (or catching some sun here and there,) they participated in a team building event to benefit a philanthropic cause.

Skillsoft partnered with World Vision to put together SchoolTool backpacks for children living in poverty in southern Florida. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, in the United States, nearly 16 million children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level and nearly 31 million children qualify for free/reduced lunch programs. Skillsoft took the initiative to get involved and help children from low-income families feel confident and motivated at school.

Employees rolled up their sleeves and assembled kits filled with school supplies to get at-risk kids excited about learning, one of Skillsoft’s most important values, and set the foundation for their academic success. Together, participants packaged up everything from pencils to glue sticks and topped it off with a note of encouragement to each child. The students will receive the SchoolTool backpacks once this semester and also at the beginning of the next school year, freeing up family resources for other essentials like food, health care and utilities.

The team building event is one of the most rewarding parts of the Global Sales Meeting and a tradition that Skillsoft will happily continue because a little effort from employees will go forth to make the next school year a little bit brighter for hundreds of children.

December 11, 2014

To understand what business case success look like, let’s first look at what failure looks like. Failure takes place when the business case:

Is not in line with strategic business objectives;

Lacks recognition of what is important to the CEO and CFO;

Requests spend without financial benefit projections; and

Uses HR and learning industry terminology that is a “different language.”

These failures all have one thing in common: they all relate to a learning and development-driven agenda and not a business-driven agenda. To develop a successful business case for elearning, you must consider how it is perceived and how it will impact the greater good of the organization.

Who can tell you how your business case is perceived and how it will impact the greater organizational good? No single stakeholder can. In fact, according to Corporate Executive Board (CEB), the average number of individuals involved in today’s buying decision is 5.4. The members of this buying team will often have differing agendas. That means that in order to get a cloud-based learning business case approved, you’ll need to identify each of the buying team stakeholders and secure their support by tailoring it to their specific priorities. Skipping or not fully addressing a stage will weaken a business case and reduce the approval probability for your online learning solution.

Stage 1: Define the Business Issue

Identify the business opportunity or problem to be solved.

Create a succinct description of what your proposal will deliver.

The objectives should help your organization reach its overall goals and be aligned with the priorities of senior management.

An example may be “reduce operating expenses” or “increase talent capability.”

Develop an opportunity statement.

This describes the benefits of solving the problem or seizing the opportunity.

For example, “reduce HR budget and expand talent development to more employees.

September 24, 2014

Skillsoft has many long-term relationships with U.S. Federal agencies. One of these Federal agencies wanted to bring a structured professional development program to their learners across the country in a creative way utilizing technology, various learning modalities and resources, and live instruction and collaboration to create an engaging, interactive and valuable experience.

Each month for the past four years, they’ve identified a critical organizational topic and then find a Skillsoft online course with that focus. At that point, they broadcast nationally the “Course of the Month” (COTM) which is open to all learners, at all levels, in any location. Learners go online to take the course, and then a few weeks later participate in a live webinar to discuss the key takeaways and how they apply to their organization, office, department, or to them as individuals. In addition, they use supporting Books24x7 books, chapters, summaries, and videos as further supporting resources about that topic or skill during the webinar. After the webinar, the presentation and list of supporting Skillsoft and Books24x7 resources is shared with participants and posted for others who are interested in that topic.

When the COTM program began, the agency and Skillsoft together identified pertinent topics. Then, they focused on a course and online books from Books24x7 that aligned with the topic and would give learners a broader exposure and understanding of the topic, as well as ways to apply the knowledge on the job. Now that the program has been established and is part of the agency’s learning landscape, the agency generally identifies appropriate Skillsoft resources independently. However, during the regular strategy and brainstorming sessions that are held every other week, the agency and Skillsoft team members discuss various learning trends and organizational needs for future COTM sessions, and Skillsoft provides recommended resources.

September 16, 2014

In an effort to recognize learning and development professionals for their contributions to the growth of workforces across the world, Skillsoft has declared tomorrow, September 17, the first annual Learning Leaders Appreciation Day.

Learning Leaders deserve to be celebrated for the integral role they play in shaping organizations with learning solutions. All too often they go unrecognized for the direct impact they have on their organization’s most valuable asset: its people. A strong, prepared and motivated workforce is necessary to be successful in today’s business climate, so it’s about time we take a day to applaud the teams and individuals that make it all possible.

Please join us in celebrating and saying thank you to the pivotal players in your learning and development. You and your colleagues can use the following resources to celebrate and show appreciation:

A social media badge to share on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #LearningAppreciation;

April 15, 2014

The winners, which include Cablevision Systems, Capgemini, The PGA of America, TELUS, San Diego Gas & Electric, Security Service Federal Credit Union, University of Alberta and a major cosmetics company demonstrate how Skillsoft’s learning solutions are enabling organizations to improve performance through a diverse set of innovative online learning programs.

UST Global was recognized with the Program of the Year award. In addition, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Leslie Positeri,Senior Training and Development Specialist, and Brian Molyneaux, Elearning Information Technology Lead, have been recognized as Learning Champions of the Year.

Skillsoft honors our customers annually for their significant achievements in learning and development, recognizing innovative ideas and inspiring leaders who are helping to transform the learning landscape. We are thrilled with the positive response reflected in this year’s submissions and are proud to honor this group of exceptional organizations and individuals who truly personify what it means to make learning integral to everyday business and life.